Fix You
by Beauteous
Summary: Indulge yourself in the tale of multiple Kingdoms and Rulers, Allies and Rivals, Betrayers and Faithful Lovers. A cross-over Fan Fiction of not only "The Avengers" and "Snow White and the Huntsman", but many more. This story will take you through the brutal journey of finding out what's truth, and what's a lie. Welcome to the War, it's only just begun.
1. At the Beginning

**Fix You.**

Story written by the talented Fan Fiction writer, "Beauteous."

**AUTHOR NOTES:**

This story is going to be a very long and complicated one. If you're ready for twists, turns, and appearances from characters you wouldn't expect, then welcome to my Fantasy world.

Throughout this Fan Fiction you will grow to love and attach yourself to the way I portray the characters. Yes, this is a cross over, so if that's not your thing, no one is making you read this.

In the beginning chapters, I must share, not all ideas belong to me, but to a Roleplay I was involved in with a friend.

As the story progresses and new characters come into play - I will place reference information on them, along with their character names, at the BOTTOM of the chapter. [Just in case my descriptions don't turn on the light bulb in your head or you've never seen those movies/shows.] Also, in the "Author Note" section, I will be giving you suggestions as to what music you should listen to for specific chapter parts, or whole chapters. _I will try to make the atmospheric experience when reading this as memorable as possible._

In any case, I may post a few serious author notes now and again. Please PM me if anything is unclear as to what's happening in the story. [That is excluding there being a newer chapter that explains your confusion, or you're just asking for spoilers.]

PLEASE remember when reading this Fan Fiction that when they are _speaking_, "I use quotation marks." And when they are _thinking,_ 'I use apostrophes.' [Very critical to take note of this.]

Another "one last thing"… SPOILER WARNING. THIS FAN FICTION MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. No, not every character I bring in has the same background story, but some might, and events from their original stories may be spoiled in later chapters. So… SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. SPOILER ALERT. IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO EVEN THE SMALLEST OF SPOILERS, DO NOT READ FURTHER.

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the rights to the franchises that any of these characters belong to, or the characters themselves.

Enjoy!

***_**Music**_***

For Part I-V: Idenline - Together 10 Hours [On Youtube.]

* * *

**Chapter I, Part I.**

**Loki.**

A new day had come. It was early morning; the trickster could feel the sun burning his shoulder through the open window. He rolled over, blinking open his stunningly pale eyes. He bit his lip slightly as he sat himself up. Guiding his right hand through his slick hair, he leant forwards and grabbed his silky wear from the edge of his bed. "Time to rise with the sun, I suppose." He sighed, stretching as he pulled the layers of dark emerald satin over his head, covering up his slender body. He leaned off his bed to slip on his tall, slim boots; buckling up each little strap slowly as to purposely take his time. "Thor is out with the Warriors Three." He paused, "good." Massaging the back of his neck as he walked over to the window, his eyes caught the bright lit sky as its heat found way through and around his body. He tugged on the tight collar of his garments with a slight irritated pout of displeasure, "Why must the heat dislike me so?" And to top it all, he had to add on _more_ layers around his waist, chest, and wrists. He lifted the slightly thicker coat-like piece of his outfit around himself; struggling for a bit to get it on properly. After being momentarily frustrated, the thing was finally at an alright state of appearance. He didn't care anymore. That and he didn't want to be late for breakfast. His breakfast, anyway. He'd always sneak into the feeding area to snatch up some food before Sif and her men, or Thor, showed up. It both aggravated and infuriated him: being tantalized and harassed all the time by them. "Oh, but it's only fun, Loki." They would say to him. Loki doesn't show this, however. He tends to hide his emotions from others. Very self-conscious, indeed, and awkward around people; especially women like Sif.

He made it downstairs, and was assembling himself at the entrance of the feeding hall; awaiting something to disturb his perfect morning. Loki's luck around Asgard was poor; for him - to get a completely quiet morning - was almost impossible.

Pushing open one of the hefty doors of the largely built castle, the golden reflections of himself forced a smile on his face. "No one so far…" He mumbled, "No one so f-"

"THERE y' are, Loki!" And there is was. The perfect figure in his perfectly set up little chess game - the rook that would destroy the King.

"What do you want, Volstagg?" Loki didn't look at him. Instead, now walking at a faster pace, he maneuvered past the man and over to the table of glorious food.

"I haven't seen yer face in ages!" His joking tone with the God just aggravated Loki more.

"_Maybe…_ I've been avoiding you on purpose."

"Naah, y' wouldn't do THAT now, would ya?" Loki rolled his eyes, and took nothing but a bun from a silver bowl next to a beautifully decorated platter of fruit. "Ye look like y' lost some weight, Loki!" With a hard smack to the back, which was probably supposed to be a pat, Loki coughed. "Y' been avoiding food, too?" The Warrior burst out laughing; causing Loki to glare intensely at the wall in front of him.

"I mind my own business, Volstagg. Mind your own, you filthy Warrior." Loki pushed past him, and left the brute behind to scratch his temple and play with his beard.

"Y' know you call ME rude." Volstagg called after him, but Loki didn't care. It was true, though. Loki absolutely despised them. He could never figure out why he just didn't feel like he fit among them. Sif and him never did get along so well: Loki always picking on her, she always returning the gesture. Now, however, they've all aged and become stronger - leaving the little tyrant feeling small compared to his incredibly muscular brother. Loki had to tread carefully when messing with them now. He'd cut Lady Sif's beautiful hair before, and ever since then he's tried his best to avoid her. She would most definitely beat him if she had the chance.

Hearing the door slide shut behind him, Loki knew he'd gotten a safe distance away from the pig. "Thor was _supposed_ to be out with them today," he cursed to himself, "perhaps later." It was early, after all. Regardless, Loki made his way to the Kingdom's breath-taking garden. At least there he could hide himself among nature's most precious. On his way, he'd come to a halt as his nose tickled from the light breeze of the outer air. It wriggled around - making a quiet sneeze escape as he brought his wrist up to his face. "Bother." He whispered to himself. Blinking his eyes a few times, the emerald hues they possessed turned to face the area Heimdall proudly guarded on a daily basis: The Bifrost. Its remarkable mottled colors were breathtaking from afar, or up close for that matter. Loki lifted his right hand, along with his left, and massaged his knuckles as if to decide if it would be better to pay a visit to the bridge or garden. "Bridge." He uttered aloud; scurrying off towards its protected beauty as his final decision. Heimdall and the little devil never got along well either. For, anytime the two had spoken, Thor always made Loki out to be a fool; casting him to be in a bitter mood, which resulted in snappish tones toward the elderly Sentinel. Perhaps, now alone, it was time for him to get a better hold on the man. He did, after all, defend the realms from destruction by protecting that bridge. He could see everything… Or could he? Smirking, Loki pushed onward past some early-bird Asgardians. If he were ever to ruin Thor's glorious day in the near future, he would have to get the Frost Giants past Heimdall's eyes. Not only that, but. . .

Loki had never travelled to the other realms before. He had many complicated questions he wanted answered - especially about _Midgard_.

Taking his precious time, Loki wandered closer to the extraordinary bridge. Should he be going this direction at all? According to what his idiotic brother was publicizing yesterday: Thor and his companions were to be going "Frost Giant Hunting", though Heimdall would never let them. Odin, the Allfather, had made amends with the Frost Giants after their war oh-so-long ago. They were not to trespass in either territory, in fear something terrible would happen, and another war between the two realms would form. Anytime Loki had brought up the subject of the creatures, Odin would instantaneously silence him. Why could he never ask questions about their species? Father was so hard on him sometimes. And yet… Thor could almost get away with anything. The other day, Thor had thrown his hammer through a stained glass window after Loki had replaced his wine with roots he'd turned to liquid in the garden. The bitter taste had caused Thor to lash out at Hogun and Fandral; luckily Loki was nowhere near the event, otherwise Thor would've done some real damage. And yet, even after all the ornaments in the room he'd destroyed, not a single punishment was received. That is, of course, not including a simple disapproving shake-of-the-head from Frigga.

Scowling, Loki had finally reached the bridge. Watching his feet with delight, the multi-colored road changed its display slightly each and every time he took a step on its glassy features. Around the area of his feet, it would glow a light gold, then disappear after he'd taken a few more steps away. Asgard was truly an exquisite realm to live in.

"Loki. What brings you here?" The deep voice snapped the God back to reality. He hadn't even realized he'd crossed the bridge. "Come to cause mischief, have we?" The dark skin of the man left a larger crease on his forehead as his eyebrows peaked; his intense golden-orange eyes staring intently into the perplexed pale face of one of Odin's sons.

"Oh, I…" The guard stood perfectly tall; his hands resting still, one on top of the other, on the hilt of his broad sword. "I came to speak with you, actually."

The crease on the man's forehead almost formed a trench as he became more intrigued by the raven-haired male's words. "Speak to me? And to what I owe the occasion?"

"It's not an occasion at all-"

"Then I do not understand why someone such as you came to speak with me."

"Well, it's just I-"

"Could it have to do with the ceremony soon approaching?" Loki hated it when people cut him off.

"No." He retorted, "I just want to talk. _That's all_." Moments like these were why Heimdall and Loki didn't meet eye-to-eye.

"Alright, Odinson. You've captured my attention. What is it you wish to know?"

Loki's lips parted, showing just a sliver of his perfect smile as he pondered what question to slip out first. Heimdall was one of the wisest men in this land; there was no way Loki was going to ask a ridiculous question. "You see everything… Don't you?" Loki eyed the man as he slowly nodded; an air of pride radiating off him as Loki continued, "But, surely, there must be some flaw." This, the God was convinced; determined to find out what it was.

"There is a flaw in everything, young Odinson." The heavily tan sentinel spoke with such fluidity… it left Loki in momentary awe. Though Heimdall would never reveal what the flaw was, that's all Loki needed to hear.

'So there is imperfection in those eyes of yours,' he mentally analyzed, 'but _what?_' Loki brought up his right hand to his mouth, and gently tapped his index and middle finger over his lips. As he began to circle around the humble, golden, statue-like man, he continued on, "Well, I won't bother you much there, but… I have to ask-"

"A fox will hunt in areas unknown." The deep voiced boomed, cutting him short.

"W-what?" Loki asked, slightly taken back by such an odd sentence.

"And that fox will continue to hunt there, if it gets away with it." He took a lengthily pause before he continued, "Until it is caught in the chains of a trap set by another hunter."

Loki's now nervous eyes dropped; he gulped with realization as to what the man was hinting at. "That's a… Curious tale, Heimdall. Perhaps you should keep those for preaching to _children_."He replied snarky, as if to brush off the man's underlined lecture. Heimdall remained silent as the Prince roamed around him, strutting his attempt at arrogance as he continued to throw out questions. "What _are_ the other realms like? Incredible, I imagine." Loki, smiling with a scheming shine in his eyes, got Heimdall's orbs to snap to him.

"If you are insinuating traveling to them, your father has forbid it, Odinson."

Loki casted the loyal servant a larger, cunning grin, "But of course, Heimdall. I was only _curious_." Laughing, Loki strolled over to the ledge of the bridge and gazed down to the stars below.

"You wish to jump?" He heard from behind.

"No, no." Loki swallowed, "nothing to… land on."

"A King doesn't always need something to land on, in order to jump."

Loki's turned around sharply at the mention of 'King.' "A _real_ King-!" He hissed, "-wouldn't be so bold as to do something so absurd!" He finished harshly, leaving Heimdall's eyebrows to rise in slight shock.

"If you ever dream to become a King, you would be wise to watch that mouth of yours around your father."

Loki's eyes narrowed, insulted by the man's advice. "Too late for that now, isn't it?! Thor's already in _line_ for the throne!" Heimdall didn't dare reply, but remained quiet as Loki fixed himself up again. "I'm sorry I bothered you." Loki briskly turned and began to turn away as Heimdall made one last call for him,

"One is not a bother, if they are kind. One is not a bother, if they ask the right questions. One is not a bother - if they are openly truthful. Suitable to be a King." Loki's eyebrows twitched; his face slowly turning to look back over at the man who seemed to be giving him an authentic wave for once. Breaking his sour mood, Loki respectively gave him a quick wave back before storming off to return to the polished walls of his mighty home.

**Chapter I, Part II.**

**Thor.**

The sun was shining through the window drapes; glorious beams of pale gold - making everything shimmer around its limited area. Today was the day - the day when all of Thor's childhood dreams would come to life. The muscular God rolled over and let out a loud snore; something he did frequently, which didn't do his smashing good looks any justice. The birds of Asgard flew by his open window in a flurry, and darted off as he snored yet again, the little creatures frightened of what beast possibly lurked inside. A loud knocking on his bedroom door caused him to groan obnoxiously and pull a pillow over his head.

"Thor!" Yelled a stressed, but elegant, voice of a woman. Another fast rapping on the door sounded as she spoke again, "Thor you must get up!"

Ignoring the calls from beyond his door, he mumbled under his pillow and pressed down harder as to make the voice quieter.

"Thor, I am warning you! Everyone else arose bright and early! Everyone but you! Do not anger me to the point of breaking down your door!"

He removed the pillow from atop his head and rolled onto his side to stare at the door. "Is that a challenge?!" He cockily snapped back; hair an unattractive mess. "I could stay in here all day!"

A sound of agitation came from opposite the door, "Are you decent?!"

"If I'm not, are you still going to push your way in?" Thor glanced down at himself and lifted his sheets briefly as to check if he _was_ dressed, at least partially. He was never one to really care much of minor things such as wearing night clothes.

"Thor!"

"Alright, my dear friend, I shall meet you in the Hall of Heroes shortly."A thankful, but still slightly-panicked sigh was just audible as the woman's rapid footsteps followed her down the corridor, and away from his chambers. "Lady Sif needs to find more ways to release her energy." Thor laughed to himself; climbing out of his oh-so-especially-comfortable silken sheets and stretched. It's always a struggle to get out of bed on a day as busy as this, for you psychologically become most comfortable. The fresh air coming through his window danced around his ideal, well-developed, exposed body; something half the population in this realm would die to get a glimpse of.

The day was young, and it welcomed his standard wide smile. He dressed himself at an eased pace and headed towards the Hall of Heroes as promised, ignoring his grumbling stomach. Sif met him halfway there, having obviously not wanted to wait any longer. She was always like this. "Do you have any idea what day it is?!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air, appearing as if she wanted to smack him.

"Of course." Thor replied, giving her a dashing smile. "Now, where's my brother?"

Sif's left eyebrow arched over her perfected goddess-like features, almost in disappointed curiosity, "Volstagg said he saw him heading off along the Bifrost. Why?"

"I cannot go through with this without him. He is my brother." Thor smiled again, turning down another hallway with her right on his heels.

"And what about the rest of us?"

"I know you'll all be there. I just need to be with him this morning." Despite what Thor often portrayed, and clearly what Loki assumed, he truly does care for his brother. "Worry not, Sif. Round up the others. Today is my day of glory. I wouldn't have any of you miss it." She gave him an obedient nod, a small smile, and left his side; heading off in another direction. "Now… Dear brother, where are you?"

**Chapter I, Part III.**

**Darcy.**

Darcy sat in the back of Jane's trailer, fiddling with her iPod. Thirty new songs and she was set. Busily scrawling notes across paper, she rocked out while she listened to Carly Rae Jepsen; lip singing every lyric to the best of her ability. While Darcy was having her own personal concert, Jane was passed out cold at the front of the messy trailer; Erik out shopping in town. Darcy sighed, adjusted her glasses, and tossed the notebook on a nearby table after the song ended. The sun was high in the sky and probably would've roasted the two of them if it hadn't been for the air conditioner. Pressing her head against the glass, she couldn't help but think that today felt strange. Something was causing the creepers to move beneath her skin and give her goose bumps, because it sure wasn't the heat. Darcy shook her head. It was probably nothing important.

Jane muttered something in her sleep, prompting Darcy to turn and see her making almost cat-like pawing motions with her left hand that was hanging over the side of the bed. Darcy felt herself smiling and then hit repeat just before her iPod skipped to the next song. Jane had always been such a good friend. She couldn't help grinning when her friend was actually sleeping. Jane's ex-boyfriend had been a real hard-ass. Since they'd broken up, Jane had been a little all over the place. Some days she'd act like she was on top of the world, others she'd do what Darcy was doing this very moment - stare and think about life without saying a word to anyone else.

Darcy's face furrowed in dislike at the thought of relationships. Not that she'd never wanted to be a part of one, but no one had ever really had the courage to ask her out. That or they'd spent too much time ogling at Jane. Deciding not to let herself wallow in agitation, she exited the trailer; iPod in hand.

The sun hit her full in the face, and before heading out for a walk of the terrain, she went back inside and slipped out of her jacket. When she was next outside, she felt much cooler, but not as she'd been in the vehicle. Darcy had taken all of five steps before pausing to decide whether or not she should've left a note for Jane. Shrugging, as Jane probably wouldn't care much anyway, she continued on her small walk of barren territory. Why on Earth Jane had decided to be on the lookout for strange happenings in the sky, specifically in the middle of nowhere, was beyond her. She just hoped whatever Jane hoped to find was worth it. Darcy would've much preferred being back in town enjoying a meal at dinner instead of pre-wrapped, stale sandwiches; with lettuce as dry as the dirt she walked on.

Kicking a few stones around the sandy ground, she glanced back up at the sun; the reflection of light off her glasses easily could've blinded someone, if she wasn't walking alone. As bored as she felt, even with her iPod blasting off the walls of her head, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted the trailer. It was an even enough distance away now, "Jane's going to be fine," she spoke aloud to no one, "Stop your worrying, Darcy." She then spent the better part of the afternoon walking a large circular perimeter of the trailer; the few lizard creatures being the only living things for a mile or so that could hear the quiet music coming from her headphones.

**Chapter I, Part IV.**

**Peter.**

"You know how boring this stuff is?" The brunette rolled over in his leather spinny chair; leaning back so far on its spine that the plastic base looked like it could break, but the thought never occurred to Peter.

"If it's so boring, why did you go to University to get here?" The Agent brought his eyes up from the files he was flipping through, his right hand fingers ready to flip to the next one, but were stopped by his lack of peripheral vision.

"I don't know." The youngster's quick answer formed a brief smile on the face of the man across from him. "Hey, what's so funny?"

Agent Coulson shook his head; his eyes dropping back down to scan the file folders as his assistant gaped at his ability to do such a redundant task. "I bet you thought you were going to be flying to space, or learning the real secret of Big Foot."

"Real secret of Big Foot?!" Peter Parker, the newest and youngest addition to the SHIELD Corporation, sat up as quickly as a child would if told they were to be given all the candy in the world.

"Doesn't exist."

"Damn!"Coulson laughed, Peter piping up yet again, "Am I ever actually going to learn about any top-secret Government files?" Parker sat on the edge of his chair; its now brutally broken-in spine creaking in relief as the man removed the pressure from his previous sleeping-like position. His mentor pulled out the file he was looking for: fresh, almost no dust on it. Parker's eyebrows moved around curiously, even though he didn't know what was in the file.

"Peter… Your time will come when you get to look at these."

"Aw, come on!" Peter moaned, slumping back into his chair; its exaggerated squeaking noise would've normally caught his attention, but it was drowned out by his moping. "I'll be dead before then."

"I'm not dead. Listen, you're still in training. How could you expect me to allow you to read these?" Standing up, Coulson dropped the pale slip onto the desk between the two of them. A few innards slid around, not held together by a pin or clip. It took a second or two, and a cock of the Agent's eyebrow, for it to finally register in Peter's brain.

"No way! Really?!" He beamed, practically jumping out of the chair to his feet. "Thank you - thank you - thank you - _thank you_!" Peter flung his arms around the man over the desk, pulling Coulson closer into an awkward hug. Having the desk keep their legs farther back, Parker could only bring their chests close together. The teacher merely brought up his right arm and tapped it on the exuberant young adult's back, trying to reciprocate the gesture. Coulson never was really good with this kind of stuff. Wasn't really his protocol to hug, either.

"Make a big scene out of this, and I'll take it back." Immediately, Parker let go and pulled away; leaving the two of them to cough a bit, and fix up their uniforms. The two eyed a by-passing officer; leaving Parker to reach his hand over the desk and give his boss's a good shake.

"Thank you, sir." They ended the moment professionally as the man walked by the window.

"Well, I'd best be going." Taking a quick glance at the classy silver watch on his wrist, Coulson presented a quick smile to his apprentice-in-the-making. "Do your homework." He kidded, leaving the smile on Parker's face only to broaden as he exited the room. As the door clicked shut, Peter danced around really quickly, having to let out some of his uncontrollable excitement and immense enthusiasm. Coulson had remained still after the door had shut; hearing the man jump around crazily only made his hopes for him greater.

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you Jesus!" Snatching up the papers from his desk, he momentarily kissed them as he shoved the rest of his worthless crap into his bag. Well, it wasn't worthless crap - but in that moment, everything but the file was.

Bursting out his office door, with a little skip in his step, he briskly walked down the hall - more than eager to get home. He'd never anticipated getting there so much. What was in the file? His brain was going to _explode_ tonight, he already had the feeling. The sad part was, as much as this was a good thing, it was also a bad. Peter would normally boast about it to all his friends - well, past friends - but this time, he couldn't. Government files had a no-discuss policy. But, who cares. He would stay up all night and read this stuff; every last word until he was done. There was no way he'd be able to put the papers down.

Coming out of the staff washrooms, he combed his scruffy hair around with the tips of his fingers. It never looked right. It was all over the place, most times. And yet, he still looked attractive. Tugging his jeans up, he plugged in his tunes, and headed home. His bag was a nuisance, now being stuffed beyond its capacity with his suit, dress shoes, papers, and the file he was to read when he got home. Sneakers, skinny jeans, light brown jacket, and an overly-packed bag… He didn't look suspicious at all. Nonetheless, he pushed his overly sized glasses up the bridge of his nose, and walked back home. Some would label him as a geek, for, he did look like the stereotypical one, but overall he was a genius. It wasn't everyday you were working alongside Agent Phil Coulson.

A few hours had gone by, and he still remained at the same quick speed of getting home. He made sure his work was a bit of a commute, for he'd told Fiona that he worked at a "school" a ways away. "You wouldn't know it," is what he always told her. With all of his heart, Peter trusted Fiona. But… He just couldn't tell her where he worked. SHIELD wasn't a place you bragged about. In fact, a lot of civilians fear, or even _hate_ SHIELD. They were very secretive, and didn't allow information about dangerous events that were transpiring in a neighbourhood to reach the public. They would get there as soon as they heard of such a problem, and barricade it off from any other on-watchers.

Pretending to play the drums as he continued down the street, now just passing a school playground, Peter knew he was nearly home. "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes - sayin' ay-o! Baby let's-go…" In mid stride, he came to a slow stop. Cocking his head to the side, he grabbed the sides of his glasses and slid them up and down his nose for a bit, trying to get a better look of the face staring at him just down the street. His eyesight was a bit poor, but from what he could make out, it looked like it could be Fiona. Pulling his glasses off, he opened his mouth wide and breathed on the lenses; letting a light residue of fog come over them. Rubbing it away gently with his sleeve, he wiped them clean. Not like it mattered if they were clean, anyway. He tucked them away into his sagging bag; thinking they made him look too much like a nerd when he had them on. Tidying up himself quickly, he attempted to use his phone as a mirror. "My hair…" Kind of looking displeased, he broke himself away from his childish ego, and found his blurry vision looking for Fiona again. Finding a black haze of dark colors come into view, he rushed off in a sprint towards it. "Fiona!" Half tripping, he called again, "Fiona, hey!" As he approached, even with his blurred vision, he could now see that she wasn't alone. "Oh… Hey..?" Now his geeky side was showing. Slowing down, the awkwardness in the situation increased as he could make out a male figure. Trying to lighten it, the sides of his mouth pulled up, and revealed a slim line of his pearled teeth. "Name's, um… Peter. You can call me Pete. If-if you want…" Hesitating briefly, he brought up his hand for a shake, but got no response. Pretending that never happened: he quickly brought it back down and rubbed it off on his jeans, laughing to break the ice. "Did I… Walk in at a bad time?"

**Chapter I, Part V.**

**Loki.**

"Suitable to be a King." He grumbled, "_suitable to be a King_." Loki continuously repeated the phrase to himself under his breath. It was as if the guard had been mocking him; telling him what attributes Thor, as the soon-to-be-King, had over him. "Kindness. Truthfulness. The ability to jump into situations without thinking them over too long." Loki couldn't believe anything that loon had told him. Either that man was losing his touch in wisdom, or Loki had become more resentful as the years flew by. In any case, this day was not going smoothly. At least… Not _yet_. Loki had got what he had been longing to hear - a flaw in the eyes of the sentinel that guarded their realm. It would be tonight after the ball and feast that he would allow Frost Giants to trespass into Asgard, under his enchantments, so Heimdall couldn't see them. He would permit several Jotuns to enter their Castle gates, and into Odin's dearest weaponry. They would go after their precious Casket of Ancient Winters: a very powerful relic that Odin had won from the battle against Laufey, the King of the Frost creatures. But… That was all Loki knew on the subject; anytime he would ask more, father would cast him away and wish to be alone. Each and every time Loki had wandered into the Library - that would also lead to immediate questioning as to why he was in there, and what he was looking for.

As Loki was about to start mumbling more to himself, his intense eyes snapped up to a quickly approaching figure: Thor. Oh, what was he doing? He was going to ruin his brother's greatest day, only to keep Asgard from his reign a short while longer. But, his plan couldn't possibly lead back to him. Loki was a talented liar, and sly as a fox. As long as he stuck by his brother's side for the remainder of the day, and through into the night, the suspicion that it was Loki who brought them inside would disintegrate. Before he could form a "hello", Thor's well-formed biceps had already caged him in a warm, tight hold.

"Loki, how glad I am to see you. I have not been able to focus on anything this morning." Thor let him slide out, and took a small step away from him. "What seems to be troubling you?"

Rotating his shoulders around a bit, eyes now glued to the floor, Loki half smiled and turned back to glance over his shoulder. "Oh, nothing, brother." He paused, turning to face his sibling. "Nothing at all." Loki's smile lengthened ever-so-slightly as he took a step closer to Thor. "Haven't been able to focus this morning, you say?" Loki laughed, "Oh, Thor, that is not a surprise." Patting his brother's chest plate, he walked around him and strolled on. It's true - Loki dearly _loved_ his brother; more than anyone, really. He couldn't find himself talking to anyone as much as he did him, even though a few slips of the tongue have angered Thor in the past. Yes, everyone makes mistakes; Loki just happens to make them more often. Before his brother could come back with another bright comment to demean him, Loki cut him short, "Have you made your decision as to if the ball will take place or not? I've _heard_ it's up to the _future King_ to decide." Loki paused, "Knowing you, I'm sure you'll want to skip right to the feast, so you may devour all your nerves and be ready for your 'crowning.'" The truth was: Loki wished to skip past the ball and go to the feast. Not only did it mean that all this would be brought to an end faster, but Loki, even when told many times, did not find himself a Lady for his arm in the event. Thor, however, had the entire sex of female Asgardians wishing to be with him. Well, besides the ones that are older or married. Loki already had several women approach him; pressuring him to be the messenger to Thor; telling him to go with that specific girl. Not one did Loki deliver. He wished for Thor to be just as lonely as he was, but he knew that would never happen. For one - when he arrived, they would all swarm to him. And two - if Sif hadn't already been forced into going with one of her Three Warriors cohorts, most likely Fandral, she would be more than glad to steal Thor's arm. Loki saw it in the way she looked at him. The affection in her eyes, the movement of her lips, lashes, and fingers each time she saw him. A few times, Loki had been caught staring her down for too long, and she'd given him a hard glare. Now, Loki goes out of his way not to even _look_ at her. She had grown to be a more attractive woman than he wanted. Of course, things never went his way, did they? He avoided all sorts of romantic emotions. It was family, and that was final. Nothing else. Some would call it fear - Loki calls it intellect. Though, it truly was fear.

A long time had passed since the first day Loki "became a gentleman." Frigga had taken the boys away from Odin for a few days. She wanted some motherly lessons to be taught to her children, so they could grow to be respectful, kind young men. Thor was all for it, of course. Another challenge he could conquer. Loki, on the other hand, was a bit more timid, because he knew what they were going to have to do.

Over the course of the two days, Frigga had taught them her ways of table manners: Sit up straight, no elbows on the table, chew with your mouth closed, don't take bites so large your cheeks bulge out, dab your mouth clean instead of wiping it like a barbarian, etc. All the manners they would learn for their own benefit. In the late afternoon, however, on the last day, the boys were taught how to treat the Lady of the table. The two sons of Odin were what humans would describe as ten and twelve at the time. Since they have pro-longed lives, they were actually in their hundred years, but resembled those human ages.

Sif, young and full of life she was, volunteered to help Frigga with the little schooling. Thor went first: Sif almost began glowing as he pulled out her short chair for her to sit. Loki sat off to the side, next to his mother, who lovingly stroked his slick black hair. _Everything_ went perfect for him. Sif was giggling, and never wanted to let Thor go every time he played with her over the table. Eventually, Frigga said enough, and congratulated her oldest son on how well he did. Then, it was Loki's turn. As soon as Frigga walked back to where Loki was sitting, Thor at her side, he froze. Sif was now staring at him, along with his mother and Thor who urged him on. Frigga ignored his massive, pleading eyes, and brought her little Prince over to the table with Sif. "Come now, Loki. It's only Sif." The little girl smiled quickly, but her eyes quickly darted over to Thor who was sitting a ways away from her now. Frigga left Loki's side, and returned back to Thor and watched. Her elegant long, flowing hair had been curled, and some of it clipped up around her ear. She slid her fingers together and casted Loki a warming smile; Thor playing with a piece of grass he'd dug out of the ground.

Swallowing, Loki turned back to a now standing, bored looking Sif. She was adorable. Her flowing blonde hair brushed around in the breeze floating along in the massive garden. He had pulled out her chair, gone through most of the same steps Thor had, and yet, there was minimal reaction coming from the girl. Loki's hands trembled slightly from nerves. He looked back over his shoulder; waiting for his mother to say "that's enough," but it never came.

"Are we done now?" Sif moaned quietly, forcing Loki's head to snap around. "_What?_" She frowned at him.

"Are you warm?" He asked clearly, his mother sitting up from her spot with joy.

"Warm?" Sif repeated, tilting her head to the side. "Yeah, I guess."

Loki smiled, stood, and walked over behind her chair. Earlier, when it was Thor's turn, Loki had been cutting up little symbols he'd seen in books, carving them into leaves he found on the ground. Loki decided to play a little trick on her in retaliation for her preference of Thor's company over his. Slipping off her transparent, silky shall, he let it drop to the ground. He could feel the eyes of his mother questioning why he let it drop, but he only smirked. The dimples in his cheeks grew deeper as he slipped out the pair of scissors he'd been playing with before. Loki placed a gentle hand on the necklace that was around Sif's neck, making her shut her eyes and smile proudly.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Loki guided his hand up the back of her neck, and grasped her hair.

"Loki?" His mother squeaked. In a moment, the scissors in his hands flashed the reflection of the sun, before he brought them up and snipped a large chunk of the girl's angelic hair off. Frigga cried out, causing Sif to sit up, not even realizing at the time what Loki had done. It didn't take long, though. She'd eventually grabbed the back of her hair, finding it greatly shorter and choppier than it was before. Frigga had begun to apologize, but Sif lashed out and jumped on Loki, crying at what he'd done to her hair. She wept in dismay as she slapped him across the face, repeatedly, before Frigga helped her off him. Ever since then, Loki had been deathly afraid of Sif. For the entirety of that little session, all he wanted was for her to look at him the way she did Thor. But she didn't. Not once. As a result, all his life he's avoided any sort of connection with women. He'd kept the manners his mother taught him: eating professionally and elegantly. Thor, on the other hand, not so much. He shoved food in his mouth right and left, and chugged down wine as if it were water.

Loki turned on the heel of his boot to stare at his brother; awaiting his word that the ball would be skipped and they would go to the feast instead. Oh, how he longed for some ice cold water.

* * *

**INTRODUCING:**

_-NEW CHARACTERS-_

Loki Odinson -Marvel's THOR movie.

Warriors Three - Marvel's THOR movie.

Heimdall - Marvel's THOR movie.

Thor Odinson - Marvel's THOR movie.

Sif - Marvel's THOR movie.

Frigga - Marvel's THOR movie.**  
**

Odin - Marvel's THOR movie.

Darcy Lewis - Marvel's THOR movie.

Jane Foster - Marvel's THOR movie.

Peter Parker - Marvel's Amazing Spiderman.

Phil Coulson - Multiple Marvel movies.

Fiona Ghallager - Shameless TV Series.

_-NEW LOCATIONS-_

Asgard [Marvel], New Mexico, New York.


	2. Provocation

**AUTHOR NOTES:**

PLEASE remember when reading this Fan Fiction that when they are _speaking_, "I use quotation marks." And when they are _thinking,_ 'I use apostrophes.' [VERY **CRITICAL** TO TAKE NOTE OF THIS.]

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own the rights to the franchises that any of these characters belong to, or the characters themselves.

The major writing Parts for characters Darcy, Thor, Fiona, Sif and Jane [excluding portions in Loki/Peter/etc Chapter parts] were originally written by the other involved Roleplayer(s) in the Group. They have been minimally edited/altered to fit and flow better with the form in my story. [With their permission.]

IN CASE OF CONFUSION: I've decided that from this chapter on, rather than just listing the new characters at the bottom of each chapter, I will be _POSTING THEM, ALONG WITH PHOTOS, ON _**MY PROFILE**_. CHECK THERE FOR THE BEST REFERENCES ON THE CHARACTERS._

*****Music*****

For Part I: No suggestion.

For Part II: Idenline - Together 10 Hours [On Youtube.]

* * *

**Chapter II, Part I.**

**Peter.**

There was a drawn out silence after Peter put forward the question. The two faces before him just stared, Fiona looking to be preventing herself from exploding on the two of them. "No, now's not a bad time Peter." She didn't try to hide her sarcasm what-so-ever. "In fact, I'd love to go for coffee."

"Coffee sounds grea-"

"You're not coming, Steve."

"Fiona, I just want to-" She didn't give him a chance to finish. Instead, she angrily grabbed a hold of Peter's arm and started down the street at an agitated pace before Peter could even get his glasses out of his bag. Peter had never actually met Steve in person before, so he didn't really have a grasp as to what he looked like.

"N-nice to meet you?!" Peter called back to the man they left behind. Fiona began to walk faster. "H-hey slow down, Fiona! I'm losing circulation in my arm!" He tried to laugh, but there were breaks in it from the large steps he was taking to keep up with the pulling on his arm.

"Who does he think he is?!" She spoke in a hushed whisper, probably not meant for Peter's ears, but he heard her loud and clear.

"Hold on- what?"

"That man has a lot of nerve! He should know better! I don't want to speak to him!" Peter had finally just stopped talking. She was so enraged, she wasn't paying attention. Not that he minded, anyway. The only thing making the situation a bit painful was her grip, and the colliding of his bag against his leg every time he took a step. In that moment, they had finally come to a stop; Peter almost colliding into her he was so used to the rush.

"Phew…" He let out a breath. "You know, I've been walking all day and-" Fiona threw open the diner door.

"I'll have the usual, coffee." She ordered to the waitress, and walked further inside.

"No that's alright. I'm okay." Peter half smiled, reaching forward to stop the door from shutting in front of him. As the waitress called the order back to the people in the kitchen, she turned to face forward and make up the receipt. The two of them stood staring at one another for a moment or two before the woman shrugged and went back to what she was doing. Following Fiona to the booth, Peter rubbed the slight sweat build up on his forehead off with his jacket sleeve. Sitting down, the leather bunched beneath them and made quite the annoying sound, but Peter soon dismissed the thought.

"Here's your coffee, dear. Can I get you anything handsome?"

"No thank you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I don't really need anything." Just as she turned to walk away, Peter half leaned towards her and whispered, "Yet." She nodded with a smile on her face and kept walking, leaving Peter's worried face to go sliding back to Fiona, who was now taking a sip of her caffeine enriched drink. When Peter began fiddling with his thumbs, something he did out of habit when he had nothing to say, Fiona dragged her grey sleeve across her mouth and spoke sharply.

"_What?_"She dug at him.

"Oh, nothing…" Silence came again, along with another long drink of coffee on Fiona's end. "Actually, can I get some water?" Peter whispered across the room to the woman who served them before.

"Sure thing, sweet cheeks." A few seconds later, she came by and dropped it off; returning over to the diner's only other customer.

Twisting the lid open, Peter took a few large gulps, and then placed it down on the table. "Mmm…" He caught Fiona's attention again, "That's some good water." He laughed in an attempt to lift her spirits, something Peter did most often when in company with Fiona. "No?" He paused, her gargoyle-like face still glaring at him. "Okay…" He shifted around, elbow against the back of his part of the booth, now digging through his bag. "I got you something." He rustled around through all the crap in his bag for another moment or two, trying not to spill anything out. "Here!" Peter brought it out, the item shiny and all. "I got it specially made… You know… In case you ever have to draw or- or uh- write something down in the middle of the night." He gave her a warm smile, genuinely pleased with his gift, as he placed the pen down on the table and slid it over to her under the tips of his fingers. Black, with silver writing, it had her name scripted on it in perfect hand writing; just over where the ink would come out of the pen, a little light was attached to it, coming with a small button just up the pen to turn it on. "It doesn't need batteries or anything, so…" Peter kind of looked down at it shamefully, hoping she didn't think it was a ridiculous gift. "Better than a mug, right?" He laughed, "we both know how many of those get broken in your house."

Fiona stared down at the pen, took it up off the table, and looked at her name etched into the end of it. She bit her tongue, trying desperately not to comment on how silly she thought the thing was. If her theories about Mary-Jane were right, she'd probably have thought it the sweetest, most romantic thing on the face of the Earth. Fiona turned it over in her fingers; trying to look as interested as possible. Putting it down, she immediately took up her coffee cup and pressed it to her lips. 'He said something to me before, didn't he? Something about broken mugs…' She hadn't been listening much.

Seeing her name on the pen had caused her to start thinking through the procedures she knew of ridding stalkers. "It's nice." She was surprised at how sincere she sounded.

"Thanks." Peter smiled again. An idea hit Fiona as she glanced from his face, and back to the pen.

'This must have cost a fair bit of money to make the stupid thing…' Her family was always in need of money… "Really, Peter." She spoke with actual gratitude this time, brightening at the idea that Debbie might not have to scam UNICEF money for a few days if she could sell the writing utensil for a decent price. "This is fantastic."

'She hates it.' Peter thought as he sat and pretended to act as if he believed her. Really, with the money he was making working for SHIELD, he could've bought her an SUV. But, as a "teacher's assistant" and living on his own, there's no way he was going to buy her something _that_ luxurious. If you're going to lie about something, you're going to have to play the part that goes along with it. Well, the living on his own part wasn't a lie. Aunt May and Uncle Ben had to move out - an order executed by the corporation he now worked for. SHIELD bought them a very nice home: consisting of four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a family room, an indoor pool, and a backyard big enough to build a mini-golf course. No debt, their bills were paid for; including medical, dental, hospital, everything. That was the deal Peter made when he joined. He asked for no vacations, no new house, nothing like that. Peter wanted to look as normal as he could. So, with making $109.03 an hour, he bought himself a decent car. It was only worth about $2-3000, but he didn't care. It was in the budget a TA would have, so he got it. Paid in cash, no lease; lived in the same house - twenty or so years old. He did a lot of research on a life TAs would have; to such an extent he even _talked_ with one. Even after buying his car, which he never put gas in and stayed in his garage, he was always happy with his home conditions. Yeah, it could get a little lonely; which is why he normally went for walks when he found himself throwing crumpled up balls of paper at the wall. He thought about Fiona often; wished he could just come out and tell her who he worked for. He could, because he trusted her, but when you start working for SHIELD - you begin to lose the people around you. You get so wound up in the job you forget everyone, and leave them behind. Stubborn, and persistent, Peter told himself a long time ago that he would never let that happen. No force on Earth could possibly keep him away from Fiona.

Fiona slipped the pen into a pocket of her jacket that was still sitting comfortably beside her. "And you're right. Mugs don't last long in my house. Actually, I'm pretty sure nothing does but us…" For once, in what felt like days, she laughed; picturing her crazy home life. "Sometimes…" She admitted, staring down into the brown remnants of her drink, "… I feel like my family life is a dream."

She had no idea Peter wasn't paying attention, and that he was in a daze of I'll-Always-Love-You-Fiona.

Glancing out the window only solidified what she was saying. Her dark chocolate eyes gazed off into her thoughts, and she half forgot she was still sitting at the diner with Peter. "It just feels unreal at times. Not really how I thought life would turn out… Not that I'm complaining about _all_ aspects of it. I just kind of figured…" Fiona paused for a long moment; feeling her heart tense up inside her chest as if it were trying to tell her something. "… I don't know. I'm sorry." She laughed, brushing a few more loose strands of hair out of her face. Peter just sat - staring - with his hands flat on the table and his mouth a little open. "Thanks for the pen." Leaving the nearly empty coffee cup on the table, she dug some change out of her other jacket pocket and put it beside the mug. "I should get going," she said, slipping on her jacket.

If Peter were sitting on a stool, he probably would've fallen off his seat he snapped back to reality so quickly.

"Got kids to take care of. House to clean. Father and brother to locate." She shrugged, exhaling slowly. "The usual."

"What? Oh! Haha... Ha… Yeah…" He scratched the back of his head; fingers toying around with his standard messy hair. "I guess it is kind of la-" Fiona had already begun walking away. "Hey! Fiona!" She stopped, Peter rising from his spot on the leather booth. "I, um…" He smiled, "Thanks for taking me with you." There was a long pause; Fiona gave him that look again, which he could never tell if it was a glare, or a look of confusion. As she began turning again, Peter's mental process screamed, 'Marry me Fiona. Marry me Fiona! MARRY ME FIONA!' louder and faster the closer she got to the door, as if it would actually call her back. The jingle of the doorbell reminded him that she'd now gone. Peter smacked his forehead as the door clinked shut. "Dumbass…" The waitress at the counter looked up at the curse; a sweet smile stretching her painted lips as Peter took a few steps towards the exit with his hand still flat on his face. "Thanks for the water." He practically groaned, knowing she had to be staring at him.

"Anytime." She laughed, his hand finally sliding off.

"You know, she's never going to fall for me." He sighed, the woman only smiling more. "Time to head home, I guess. To my _booooooring_ life." He exaggerated. "Nothing to d-" He stopped mid sentence, "Holy hell! I have to get home!" Peter almost frightened the woman as he booked it outside. He'd completely forgotten about the files he promised Coulson he'd read overnight. It wasn't exactly late, but Peter definitely could be diagnosed with ADD at times; He couldn't sit still if something bored him. He took one last look around the street for Fiona, having to pull out and shove on his glasses to do so. "Man, that woman walks fast."

He only lived a block or two away from her, so he was going to offer her a walk home, but she was already gone. Shrugging, Peter brought the zipper on his jacket a bit higher, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and walked home.

About fifteen minutes later: keys were dropped onto a counter, and a door closed. Its echo was loud, only because the house was lifeless excluding his fish in his room… Which was actually dead, but Peter never noticed. Sauntering into his living room, he stripped off his jacket and shirt; tossing them onto the recliner across from his Television. Flopping back onto his couch, he dropped down his bag beside him. "Now's a better time than ever." Already, he wanted to plug in his tunes and play some Dissidia on his PSP, but he remembered how badly he'd wanted to read these files. Almost breaking the strap on his bag, he stretched it open. Digging through his clothes, which he eventually just pulled out, he found the precious papers buried beneath all his other crap. "_My precious…_" He laughed, feeling like such a nerd for making that reference with no other company present to laugh with him. Peter let out a long, drawn out breath in childish preparation and suspense build up. "Sha-ZAM." He peeled the file open; half expecting holy rays of light to shine out of it. "Whoa." His eyes were jumping so fast all over the first two visible pages that he couldn't even read anything. Quickly pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again, he slowed himself. Peter read at a pretty quick speed, faster than the average guy, so it didn't take him long to read over the first handful of pages.

"Aww, _man_! Are you kidding me?!" He whined, "I have to help find a_ cube_ - in the _ocean_?!"

**Chapter II, Part II.**

**Thor. Loki.**

"Skip the ball? And have mother be disappointed in me? I would hardly think so." Thor saw his brother cringe slightly, though it was obvious he was trying to hide it. "I must admit, Loki, I'm having even a hard time with that. As future King of Asgard, who I take to the ball is supposedly…" Thor couldn't finish his sentence. Whomever he decided to take to the ball would be seen as the future Queen of Asgard. That terrified him. There were far too many women on Asgard vying for his attention. What was he to do? Not that there weren't many beautiful women, but the only ones he knew closely were his mother and Sif. If he took his mother, he'd look like a cowardly idiot. Sif was more like a best-friend-big-sister type. Taking her was out of the question as she would most likely laugh at the idea of them going together.

When Thor had broke off, Loki remained in his slightly lowered head position. It had descended so far into his shoulders that it looked as if he were embarrassed, or extremely worried about something. Worried Loki was, indeed. Thor wasn't going to cancel the ball - something Loki never considered thinking over. 'This is _Thor_ I'm talking about. He never turns down a challenge out of anxiety or nervousness… What even_ is_ that to Thor? He's not afraid of anything.' Loki, on the other hand, just assumed Thor would be like him and get rid of plans for the ball. But, as it seems, The Mighty Thor didn't even have a date. He, too, was in a tricky maze. Thor would have to pick and choose between hundreds of passages, or in his case woman, to bring. And depending on the woman, it could change how well or poor his travel goes.

Loki brought his hands together again, and began anxiously massaging his pale, boney fingers as Thor watched him walking a couple paces ahead of him; suddenly getting an idea. "Brother, would you do me the honor of being my date to the ball?"

Loki's mouth fell open. 'Is he serious? No no, he couldn't be. This must be some sort of a trick.' He mentally analyzed. "C-come again?" Loki asked as he turned, mouth still fretfully open a smidge. Thor didn't repeat himself, and instead smiled encouragingly. "We- well… How do you know I don't already _have_ a date?" Loki's eyebrows arched, eyes slightly widening to follow in the playful stare. Thor just laughed and took a step forward, but Loki backed up and turned forwards to the Kingdom. "I don't know, Thor I-" Loki bit his lip, considering how this situation could go. If he were to "be his brother's date" to the ball, that could make things for him look good when the crowning came about. By accepting his brother's hand, Thor wouldn't hesitate to back him up in saying Loki is innocent. A smart play. During the dancing section of the ball, Loki could lose his celebrated brother in the crowd; possibly even leave him behind with Sif, if he was lucky. After perfecting his plan over the predicament, Loki had formed a safety route. It was _perfect_. Confident it would go as planned, Loki turned to beam at Thor, who followed in the noticeable mood shift, and smiled in return. "I would be glad to." Loki expressed with an air of calmness he desperately needed in that reply.

Thor fist-pumped the air as a symbol of victory before scooping up his brother in an overly-excited hug. Thor's worries were gone in one simple answer. Loki looked as if he were about to protest to the amount of close-contact, but Thor could see his sibling's smile trying to find its way across his face. Only when he swung his brother around a few times did he finally manage to elicit a sweet laugh from his dark-haired younger. "Then let us get ready, Loki! But first, a meal! Have you eaten?" Upon learning that Volstagg had prevented him from doing so, he took his brother's hand and raced back into the halls of their home. Many a number of times Loki tried to get him to let go, clearly enjoying himself much more than he would've liked to let on. Thor knew something was bothering him, yet he didn't want to upset him by mentioning anything. Thor decided to ignore his worries and dragged Loki along with him, past several servants holding folded laundry, food, and a variety of other things. A few times, they dropped what they were carrying to make way for Thor. Loki, being the gentleman that he is, called back apologies to them over his slim shoulder. Thor chuckled happily, only letting go of his brother's hand when they reached the dining hall. The two of them stopped; Loki, out of breath as always, arched over as he caught his desperately needed oxygen. He couldn't help but share the same, wide grin as Thor did. That was quickly broken, however, when the two met eyes. For a moment, Thor felt something shift. It was as if the floor had been ripped out from underneath him and he was falling into the depths of oblivion. Thor just stared at him, possibly not even realizing that both of their faces lost all the light they had before.

"…Brother, what's wrong?" Loki quietly asked, almost afraid of the answer. Could Thor see it in his eyes? Did he know what he was planning? Loki's frantic pale emerald hues shifted back and forth between his brother's royal blue.

Thor straightened himself and winked, "Nothing to fret over, my brother."

"Nothing to_ fret_ over?" The voice of Sif caught their attention. Sitting at the embroidered dining table were the Warriors Three. Volstagg was swallowing down mouthfuls of fruit, Hogun was staring straight ahead at nothing, and Fandral appeared to be observing his reflection in a polished silver spoon; Sif was walking towards the two Asgardian princes with her arms crossed.

'Those pests.' Loki mentally scoffed.

"Have I done something to upset you, Sif?" Thor questioned.

"Oh, _no_."The sarcasm in her voice was a little too obvious. "Of course _not_. The Mighty Thor could _never_ do anything to upset _me_."

Loki laughed behind him. If Thor had been paying attention to the amount of undeniable mockery in the laugh, he wouldn't have snapped at Sif for her glare of distaste, which instantly shut up the God of Mischief. "And what gives you such a right as to look at my brother that way?!"

The Warrior Goddess jumped slightly, and then narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "He's been keeping you from your duties today, Thor!"

"Duties?" It was Thor's turn to laugh in disbelief. "A King attends to his duties as he plea-"

"You are not King yet!" The Warriors Three all froze in the background. Thor felt even his brother's tense eyes burning into the back of his head. "Have you forgotten what it is you've to do today?! Not only is there a coronation rehearsal for you to attend, but there is the ball as well!"

"I have taken care of that!"Thor half shouted back at her, taking a step towards the raven-haired woman. "My brother is attending the evening events with me!"

The blood of the Goddess was clearly at a boiling point after she took in what he'd meant with those words. "Your… _Brother_?!"

"Yes!"

"You do realize that you're supposed to bring a _lady_ to the ball!"

"Well, let me know when you find a _true_ lady and I shall take _her_!" The two stared furiously at each other for a few moments before Thor angrily turned away from her, passed by his brother, and stormed out of the golden arches at the end of the hallway in a fuming rage; boots thumping against the floor of perfection as he exited.

Silence fell across the room like a loud clap. Loki's eyes were larger than natural - mostly due to his brother's furious tone with one of his most beloved friends, but there was also the factor that he, who had now taken Sif's obvious place in the ball, was left alone with the four of _them_. Gulping slightly, Loki nervously turned back to the flaming raven haired woman. If he were to appear in control, and prove himself above these pesky Warriors, now was his chance. "Oh, Sif." A smirk drew itself along his facial features as he took a step closer to her; his hands now open and away from his slender body, forming a "w" like shape with his arms. In a mocking fashion, he tried to "sympathize" with how she was feeling. "How _pitiful_ you must feel." Loki took notice of her now clenched fists as his arms fell back down to his sides. "You know… I'm not sure _what_ goes on in that mind of yours…" He paused, "but if you _honestly_ think Thor is in love with you-" He laughed, "you couldn't possibly be more wrong." Over at the table, Volstagg slammed his massive fork down next to his plate, flat under his palm. The bulky hand trembled with rage as the prince merely sneered at him. "And you three… Hah! What a _joke_." Fandral had slowly placed his silver spoon down as well, eyeing the other two as Loki continued. "I can't believe Thor has had this much faith in you all these years." Loki rolled his eyes, turning back to Sif. "And you put in so much wasted effort."

"That does it." Volstagg rose from his seat; so fast the table screeched away by getting bumped by his waist. Hogun and Fandral got up just after he did, rushing around to stop him as he began to briskly storm over to the prince, who was now starting to back away.

"Volstagg!" Hogun called, grabbing the clothing on the arm of his massive partner.

"Be smart now!" Fandral finished, holding onto the man's opposite arm. Loki had placed a hand behind himself; feeling for the cold, golden walls he knew were behind.

"Oh, I thought you three only took orders from a _woman_." Loki voiced, his tone leaking with the venom of someone who clearly didn't think over what had just come out of their mouth. The Warriors three paused, before Fandral and Hogun both let go of Volstagg, and went after Loki.

"That's it-"

"You little fiend!" Volstagg grabbed onto both of Loki's shoulders, and backed him fully into the wall.

"No! Don't you dare lay a hand on me!" Loki exclaimed, frightened eyes now traveling over to Sif, who stood by and did nothing. "Sif! - Sif, I meant nothing! Nothing of that! It was just a bit of-"

Hogun and Fandral pulled him farther down the wall, Volstagg still tightly gripping onto his shoulders. "Fun?" Fandral questioned, half smiling as the prince's eyes grew slightly larger. The Warriors' faces were all inches away from his; glaring him down as Sif, in the background, looked like she might be crying of sorts, but Loki couldn't see her any longer.

"I'm-"

"Sorry?" Fandral questioned again. "No, no, Loki." He chuckled, "not _yet_." Patting his left hand around Loki's waist, Fandral searched for his small weapon collection. And that he did. He found what he was looking for. Slipping out a thin, short blade - one that would normally be used for long-ranged throwing, Fandral brought it up into Loki's line of sight. He smiled as Loki squirmed around briefly, but was stopped by the added pressure Volstagg and Hogun put on him.

"You filth!" Loki hissed.

"What was that?" Fandral brought the blade closer to Loki's now ghostly face. "I think I heard you squeak." Hogun and Volstagg smiled, and Loki's eyebrows curled.

"Please- no!" He pleaded. "You don't think Thor will notice?! You don't think he will know it was-"

"Us?" Loki was silenced. "Oh, Loki, Loki… We're just a _joke_ anyway, aren't we?" Loki tried to squirm away again, but got nowhere. "The more you squirm, the more this'll hurt." Fandral said playfully as he lightly pressed the edge of the blade against Loki's cheek, in a sense that he actually _didn't_ want Loki to suffer. "Aww, poor baby is sweating." The Three laughed; Fandral putting a tad more pressure onto the thin cutting edge, just enough to make a little cut.

"NO!" Loki cried, and finally, so did Sif. Loki's heart was racing so fast, he didn't hear what she said, but it got the Three Warriors' grips to loosen. Dropping the blade to the ground, Fandral stood, along with Hogun and Volstagg. Cowering, Loki half crawled away - back against the wall - before he tripped to his feet and sprinted away down the corridor Thor had gone. A few extra yells could be heard from behind him as he ran, but Loki couldn't make them out. All the authority he had attempted to assure of himself had completely disintegrated. Vanished. Gone. What an embarrassment. At least he was still alive…

"Thor!" Loki called out, his voice slightly cracking as he did so, but he kept it as calm as he could make it sound. "Thor!" He shouted. Following pursuit down the passage, he shoved himself out a set of mighty doors, calling out for his brother again. "Thor?" Loki gasped for air, panting as his heart only started to slow. The fresh air hit him like a mountain of tumbling boulders. It definitely woke him up; prevented him from passing out; and cooled him rather quickly. He always seemed to cling to cold more than warmth, but right now, he had sweat glittering across his forehead and palms. Coming down to a much slower pace, Loki took his time walking off the steps of the castle that led to the garden. Loki had hoped that he _would_ find Thor there, and _not_ at the same time. It was a beautiful place: calming, and the scents were extravagant. The two brothers used to always go in there as children when anything nerving had come up - mostly to hide from their parents. Bringing up the back of his hand to his face, Loki gently laid it over where the razor sharp blade had got him. Pulling it back into sight, there was minimal to no residue of blood, which meant it couldn't be all that noticeable.

Rubbing his palms down onto the fabric of his wear, Loki apprehensively entered into the scenic "forest." There were so many different flowers and angelic trees, you could easily get lost. Though in these woods, the only thing he could possibly have any fear over would be Thor, but somehow, he knew he wouldn't.

"How dare she!" Thor exclaimed, kicking a bush of roses over without hesitation. Sif had no right to have snapped at him. He was the soon-to-be-King of Asgard! Not to mention she knew very well the bond both he and his brother share. She was absurd. Thor had been right about not taking her to the ball. His brother meant more to him than she ever could. Thor scaled a tree in the luxurious garden, probably not the best idea as he felt more like tearing the branches right off it, but he did so anyway. He situated himself up high enough so that he could see the sunlight slowly beginning to fade to a shade of orange. Soon the ball would fall upon him, and the coronation would be in the early evening, when the sun had almost set. What would he do then? Punish Sif for her words? Force her to take up time as a maidservant until she learned her lesson? Many a number of suitable penalties floated about Thor's mind as he sat fuming. He should not have left his brother behind, though Thor assumed he'd follow after him right away. As if right on cue, he spotted his brother searching the garden for him. The blonde God was half-tempted to call for him, but with fury still in his veins, he thought he would only deter Loki from coming anywhere near him, so he stayed silent.

Creeping in more, Loki's eyes anxiously scanned around. It took him probably about two or three minutes before he had finally spotted Thor. 'I knew you'd be here…' Loki thought, half smiling as he saw Thor up in probably the largest tree in the garden - but, only just big enough to sit a _single_ God; not very large at all, really. "Thor-" He cleared his throat again, after hearing himself crack. "Thor." Loki's breath was a little fast, but he didn't feel warm any longer. In fact, he felt quite cold. Loki's face gleamed with a slight line of sweat, but at a touch, he felt like ice. "I knew you'd be up there."

Keeping a safe distance from the tree, Loki wiped his face again, and took a seat on the grass. Uneasily, he stroked its soft strands of olive with his face lowered; only his eyes looked up at his sulking brother. "You know, I…" Loki swallowed, "I've never seen you so upset before…" Thor adjusted his sitting position, staring down into his brother's shimmering emerald eyes. Taking in another deep breath, Loki continued, "Forgive me if I've disturbed your… Erm…" He paused after his quiet little utterance, "…peace."

Something was very wrong. Thor could see it. Not in the body language, Loki's trouble breathing, nor his facial expression - but it was in his eyes. They almost looked to be pleading with him. What was it? A sudden wave of anxiety washed over him as he thought of how long his brother had been inside the walls of the castle. Before he bothered responding to Loki's words, he leapt out of the tree and dropped to his knees before his brother, who was startled by this movement, causing Loki to jump ever so slightly from his abused nerves from before. Thor said nothing at first, and instead searched his brother's eyes for answers. It wasn't until his sapphire eyes trailed did Thor see what had so_ pulled_ at his insides. The smallest cut, from a blade that had to have most definitely been from a hunter's weapon, just slightly showed on his sibling's right cheek.

"Loki…" Thor let out a slow breath, trying to calm himself. A glance at the Asgardian castle doors only made his ferocious urge to run back in and demand answers for his beloved brother's torment stronger. "…Who did this to you?" Loki looked as if he were to try and play it off like nothing.

"It was-" Loki spoke those two words so quietly, it was as if they had never been said. Thor gently stroked the minute cut with his left hand thumb, effectively halting his sibling's attempt at passiveness.

"Who was it?" Another pause. The God of Thunder could feel his emotions getting the better of him. First Sif's harsh belittlement of his beloved younger, and now some harm had come to him… all on the day that was supposed to be his day of triumph. He did not want to believe all the bad feelings he'd been having all day were a sign.

Thor's words had turned the situation a lot more serious, forcing a lie to say "it was nothing" back down Loki's quivering chest.

"Please…"

Loki's glass eyes shifted between his brother's, hoping that one would tell him to stay quiet and say nothing, but he found the same demanding emotion in both. "Thor-" Loki had started another lie, but stopped as the movement of Thor's thumb halted over his cut. "It…" Ashamed, Loki's eyes fell and he bit his lip. "…Your friends." He admitted; so hushed it was as if he didn't want their ancestors to hear. He knew he didn't have to say their names for Thor to know who he spoke of. "I-I-I tried to apologize!" He pulled back from Thor's touch and edged away slightly. "It was _their_ faults! It always is!" He exclaimed, burying his face in his hands. "I can never stand up to them… Not like you." Loki hesitated, taking in a long, shaky breath. "Why can I _never_ do things like you?!" He broke his face away from the curtains of his fingers to stare Thor straight in the eye. "W-w…" His emeralds looked down again. "Why don't they fear me? What is there _not_ to?! Look at me, like I am now!" He rubbed his eyes and quickly rose. "Why do they treat you so _differently?!_ … What _am_ I to them?!"

Thor gazed up at him; his focused eyes absorbing in every word his brother wept. He could not fathom what on all of Asgard Loki could've possibly done to deserve all of this. He'd noticed, especially recently, how coldly their father had been treating Loki. At least Frigga was always there for _both_ her sons. Everything appeared to be against Loki, and he did not understand it.

"They laugh at me - look _down_ upon me! Like I'm some _child!_" Loki's shimmering eyes rimmed with tears as he turned away from his brother and stormed over to another, much smaller tree. "I will not be looked down upon by them. I am _just as strong_ as you!" Lying to himself prompted a quiet sob to escape his mouth before he placed a firm hand on the thin trunk of the tree he stood by. "Just once, I wish they would look at me…" He paused, drawing in another breath as he minimally trembled. "…Look at me like I'm worth something."Loki thought back to the look Sif gave him as he laughed at her, demeaning her to make himself feel better. Did he deserve what the Warriors Three had done to him? After all, he _had_ provoked the three men by down-right insulting them. That, however, Thor wouldn't hear about from Loki. Bringing up his hand, Loki stroked his now damp cheeks as he stared on into the tree, not wanting to face his brother. He'd never felt so humiliated in his life - nor to be so overwhelmed by such an event. Was it right to be this frightened? Was it only because his brother wasn't there that he did it? Loki hadn't grown a backbone quite yet, and that as a first attempt terrified him from ever trying again. He'd always felt more comfortable around Thor, for he knew the others stayed in line when he was around. And even after all this, Loki knew what was to happen later this evening. "T-Thor I am… So sorry…" Thor wouldn't understand what he really meant behind those words, however.

Pushing himself away from the delicate bark, Loki timorously turned around to face his now rising brother. As he bit his lip to refrain from weeping more, all he could think about was how the rest of the night was going to play out. Right now - Loki couldn't possibly wish anymore than for this ball to be a Masquerade. That way, at least the outlaw could hide his face. But to his displeasure, he knew that it wasn't.

"You do not have to apologize, Loki." Thor spoke, not taking his eyes off his brother, who was doing everything he could not to meet gazes. The blonde God curled and un-curled his fists a few times, picturing the Warriors Three and Sif. 'How could they dare lay a hand on one of the Princes of Asgard, let alone knowing full-well that I'm his brother?!' Thor mentally raged, and instead, calmly let out, "Never apologize to me again." A look of panic seemed to wash over the dark-haired prince. "You never, ever have to apologize to me, do you understand?" Loki's emerald orbs, still glistening with tears yet to be shed, met his as if he were half-expecting a scolding. "You listen to me Loki, everything that has happened… None of it is your fault. You deserve none of this, brother. Do you hear me? You are not to blame." Thor placed a gentle hand on his sibling's right shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile. "Tonight, there is only you and I. Together we will celebrate in the glory that belongs to the two of us." He took Loki's hand for a moment before gesturing back to the doors of the castle. "Let us get ready, shall we?"

Not daring to let his brother's hand go, for fear some other god-forsaken evil would try to inflict suffering on Loki's already jagged soul, Thor led him back into their golden home. Without even slowing his pace, Thor gripped his brother's hand slightly tighter as they passed by the Warriors Three and a puffy-eyed Sif. He could hear the quiet whisper of protest from Loki, not wanting to be anywhere near those four. Thor held his head high, not meeting eyes with any of them. He wanted them to see just how he valued his brother. As far as Thor knew, they had _no right_. The brothers would enjoy themselves at the ball without them. After Thor had guided his brother far up into the castle, listening as Loki spoke quietly to himself, he thought up an idea. The ball would be his way of truly expressing how much his brother meant to him; how he would not stand for his friends' cruel attitudes. He let go of Loki's hand once they'd reached his chamber doors. "Get ready, Loki. This is one party even _you_ shan't miss." With that, Thor crossed the hall and entered into his own room.

Tonight's coronation would be a shared joy for both him _and_ Loki. Thor was _sure of it._


End file.
